Growing Herbs Indoors: Thyme

Growing Herbs Indoors: Thyme

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If you want to learn about growing herbs indoors then Thyme could be a great choice for you. People have grown Thyme for centuries both as a decorative plant and also as an herb to use in cooking. It grows easily in a variety of conditions and can add beauty to a garden or home landscaping. Some of the most popular uses of Thyme in cooking are in meats, soups and stews.

Growing herbs indoors, and Thyme specifically, is the method if you plan to use it in your cooking. Thyme gives off a wonderful smell that will attract bees, an added benefit to gardeners. To use Thyme in cooking, the leaves should be picked right about the time it begins to flower. Once it is picked, store it in a plastic bag or right in your refrigerator’s crisper. By leaving a piece of stem and placing the cut Thyme in a glass of water, you can keep it fresh for quite some time.

Even if you place the Thyme in water, it won’t likely last much longer than a week and fresh Thyme should be used quickly after harvest. If you want to keep the Thyme for a longer period, you must dry it. This is done by simply hanging the herb in a warm dry place for a week or two. After it is dried, it can be broken into small pieces and container that can be tightly closed. Be sure to remove as much of the stems as possible since they have a somewhat unpleasant taste.

Growing herbs indoors is also useful for medicinal purposes. Many people believe in Thyme’s medicinal properties as well and it is used frequently in that capacity. Thyme is reported to aid in the digestion of fatty meats such as pork, lamb and duck and is often added to dishes using these meats. Thyme can also be made into a tea and used as an antiseptic, expectorant, and to ease sore throat pain. Recently, scientific studies have confirmed that Thyme does indeed have some medicinal properties.

Other products are made from Thyme’s oils. Once the oils are rendered and distilled, they can be used to make such products as toothpaste, deodorant, hair conditioners, mouthwash and insect repellent. Thyme is also a popular scent used in potpourri and other aromatic products.

Thyme is very easy to cook with since its flavor is so mild. It’s nearly impossible to over flavor with Thyme. If by chance you run out of Thyme, Oregano can be used as a decent substitute. But there really is no substitute for this versatile herb and all serious cooks need a good supply on hand at all times. So, if you wanted to get started with growing herbs indoors, why not get started with Thyme?